Yakuza Moon
by recchinon
Summary: He was the Yakuza leader and she is a simple kindergarten teacher. They fell in love but she was too shy to tell and he was too stubborn to admit. rating might go up ICHIHIME -1st bleach fanfic-
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **He was the new Yakuza leader and she is a simple kindergarten teacher. They fell in love but she was too shy to tell and he was too stubborn to admit. My first Bleach fic, and it is Ichihime (because I love them so much), AU. Flame it if you don't want it, I'll delete it for you… :)

**Disclaimer: **_**Bleach is not mine, will never be mine… **_

**THANKS TO MY BETA-READER SYLMARIEN  
**

**.  
**

**1. The Beginning**

He looked at the old man's body unbelievingly. He'd just talked to him that morning. Not even 24 hours ago he'd joked about 'the young orange haired man who needed to find himself a girl'. Said young man blinked his eyes. The body was still there, this was not a dream. He sighed, the old man was the only blood relative he knew and now he was dead. Not only dead, murdered.

He gritted his teeth, _who dared to do this?_ The old man was not an ordinary man, messing with him could mean death. Whoever dared to kill him was either they too brave or too stupid for their own good. _Maybe both_, he decided as his eyes once again went to the body. He still couldn't believe it. The old man had been strong. He'd known him his whole life and knew how strong he was for an old man. Kurosaki Reiichirou was, the leader of the Kurosaki group—his grandfather.

He clenched his fist, his eyes still locked to the body, "Who did it."

The red-headed tattooed man behind him took a step closer, "We don't know." He said, "When we found him, he was already–"

"Somebody killed him." The orange head cut him off, "Somebody shot him in his room. In our damn own house! Find the killer." He ordered, "I will kill him with my own hands."

The tattooed man nodded, "I'll tell the others to find everyone who met Boss today…" he paused but then continued, worry in his voice, "But, Ichigo… I mean young master… Since Reiichirou-sama was killed, from now on, you're the new leader of Kurosaki group…"

Ichigo turned around to face the other man, an eyebrow raised in question, "So?"

"I mean, you are the only blood relative of Reichirou-sama and…"

Ichigo growled, "What is this about, Renji? Spit it out! I don't have time for this bullshit."

Renji sighed, his friend really had a short temper, "Whoever killed the Boss, they must bear a grudge against our group or the Kurosaki family. Now that you are our new boss, they'll probably try to kill you as well. I think you'd better be more careful and take more guards with you. At least until we find the killer."

Ichigo snorted. Renji was his best friend but he didn't think he'd worry that much about him. He was stronger than his grandfather, "Don't worry, I don't need guard."

"But.."

Ichigo waved his hand, "Stop it. Now I want you to tell the others to start finding the killer. And don't worry about me," He added with a grin, "I'm strong enough to take on anyone brave enough to try."

Renji let out a heavy sigh, he'd known Ichigo for years now and he knew how stubborn the orange haired guy was, "Fine… But please don't do anything stupid"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, _look who's talking;_ he thought but didn't say it out loud. "Don't worry, I won't."

* * *

She woke up drenched with sweat once again, the nightmare still strong in her waking mind. She bit her lip—it was the same nightmare that had haunted her for the last ten years. She thought it had finally gone but lately it had started coming back, reminding her of all that happened in the distant past, everything too painful to want to be remembered.

She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. The arrows were glowing in the dark but she still had to narrow her eyes to read it. It was three in the morning. The auburn haired girl sighed. She wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, not after _that_, she was always too scared to dare falling asleep and seeing it again.

The girl rubbed her gray eyes as she sat up. She yawned once before slipping out of the bed. She hadn't slept properly lately. She would wake up in the middle of the night and would stay away until the dawn. She felt restless but it didn't matter to her. She preferred to stay awake.Because the more she slept the more she would dream. That thought brought a frown to her face but she shook the negative thought off with practiced determination.

Grabbing her jacket to cover the t-shirt she wore to bed she decided that some fresh air would clear her mind and so headed out to take a walk. It would be dawn soon and people would be out jogging so it should be safe enough. At least that was what she thought.

They sky was still completely dark and the moon was still there as the twenty-some girl left her apartment. She tilted her pretty face to look at the dark sky. _Sora…. _She closed her eyes as a man's face came to mind. She opened her eyes again only to find that were now filled with tears. She wiped them away and sighed. _No, Sora wouldn't be happy if I cried again…_ she thought as she continued her walk toward a nearby park, _I mustn't cry anymore. For Sora…_

* * *

"You're gonna die, Kurosaki Ichigo! Nobody stays alive after touching Jirou-sama's woman!"

The man called Kurosaki Ichigo scowled at the raven haired man accusing him, "First, I don't know who your damn Jirou-sama is, second, I didn't touch ANY woman, THAT woman touched me, and third, I ain't gonna die. You are."

The leader of the four men spat on the ground as Ichigo eyed him, "Che! Don't be so proud of yourself just because you're the leader of the Kurosaki group! With the old bastard Reiichirou dead, your group is nothing but rubbish." he smirked, "I don't really like the woman anyway, so I'll let you off if you kneel before me."

_Oh, so he's Jirou-sama._ Ichigo thought, giving him cool glance."hah! The only thing that my knees will be doing is kneeing you in your groin, you Bastard!" Nobody got away after saying something bad about his grandfather. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"Fine if that's the way you want it," Jirou jerked his head at Ichigo, "Finish him."

Ichigo snorted as the three men with baseball bats in hand came at him together, all swinging the heavy things wildly. They were outclassed from the start. They tried to hit him but the bats were too heavy for them and he was simply too fast. It amused the scowling orange head at first, seeing the men try madly to beat him but having their bats hit nothing but empty air but soon he got bored and decided to finish things quickly.

"Tsk, you're hopeless…" Ichigo said as swung his fist into a one man's jaw. The man fell to the ground like a stone and tried to get but Ichigo kicked him back down hard enough to leave him a groaning pile of useless muscle.

"Watch your back!"

Ichigo reacted as someone shouted a warning. He dodged to the right as a man tried to hit him from behind. He narrowed his eyes, that was close and coming from behind was a low tactic, it certainly suited these low class thugs. The man who had fallen to the ground got himself together enough to stand and pulled out a small knife from his pocket. Ichigo kept an eye on Jirou as he did so, Jirou had gotten out a knife too and looked to be joining in the fight pretty soon.

He was thinking about how to handle him when he heard another shout, "Stop the fight! I already called the police!"

Ichigo and the men looked at around, Ichigo spotting her first. The girl stood bravely a few meters away and across the street behind him. She was holding her phone tightly with both of her hands. Ichigo frowned, _what was a girl doing here?! _He knew Jirou and his fellows—they wouldn't care whether she was a girl or not.

"I already called the cops." She repeated, her voice was trembling but her eyes steely with determination, "They'll come in any minute. Stop the fight."

Instinctively Ichigo used the distraction she provided to make his move. Before anyone could react, including the girl he'd sprinted to where she was, grabbed her hand and dragged her after him.

"Uh?" was her surprised utterance as she tried to keep up with him.

Luckily Jirou and his men believed her threat about the cops and chose to run the other way, deciding to get back at Ichigo another day, however Ichigo didn't stop running for until he was sure they'd lost all chance of being followed just in case. After he felt that they were far enough away Ichigo stopped and turned around to look at the auburn haired girl who was breathing heavily now, clearly exhausted after the confrontation and subsequent getaway.

"What were you thinking?!" he demanded, when she'd caught her breath.

Confused by his apparent anger, she looked at him with startlingly clear pure gray eyes. "Um.. What?"

"That was dangerous!" He scowled, they were so close she could feel his hot breath on her face, "You shouldn't go involving yourself in dangerous fights like that you got it?"

She bit her lower lip, but didn't look away from him "But… You were in dangerous…"

"No buts!"

She didn't answer but looked down at her hand which she only just realised was still being held in a firm grip by her antagonistic saviour.

Following her gaze Ichigo realised what he was doing and quickly released her hand, "Sorry.."

She smiled, "That's okay…"

Ichigo frowned at the smile. Somehow, he seemed familiar with the girl, "Have we ever met before?"

The girl put her index finger in her chin. She made a face like she was trying to remember something, "Errr I don't think so…" She was sure she'd remember it if she'd ever met someone like him before. She felt her face became red at the thought. She did not want to admit it but he looked quite handsome up close.

Ichigo nodded, sure he would have remembered her too if he had met her before. He'd never admit it even to himself, but holding her hand and running with this girl had been …nice, almost…fun now that he thought about it. Except…

"Ah…" Ichigo realized it now.

"What?" the girl tilted her head, looked at him curiously.

"No.. nothing…" he said quickly and put his hands in his pockets as he looked at the sky, it was almost dawn, "Hm… Let me take you home."

"Eh, what?" the girl waved her hands in a negative gesture, her face blushing pink, "No… Thank you but you don't have to… My apartment isn't far…I can go on my own."

He scowled again, "I will take you home." His tone warning that this was the last word on the subject.

She opened her mouth to say something but he narrowed his eyes as if daring her to make a big deal of it. "Ok then" she gave in. "Thank you…"

"That's ok. Which way?"

The girl pointed, "That way…"

"Ok, Let's go."

But she didn't move.

Ichigo stopped his walk and looked at the girl. He growled, "What now?"

She shook her head, "My big brother taught me not to follow strangers."

Ichigo slapped his forehead, _what's with this woman? _When he looked at her again she found that she was smiling sweetly at him, _what the hell._

"I am Inoue Orihime…" She said still smiling, "And you are?"

Ichigo finally understood her logic, "Ah, sorry, Kurosaki Ichigo." He cleared his throat, "Ok, now we've got to know each other, let's go." He hesitated for a second but then he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward to walk with him in the direction she pointed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **He was the new Yakuza leader and she is a simple kindergarten teacher. They fell in love but she was too shy to tell and he was too stubborn to admit. My first Bleach fic, and it is Ichihime (because I love them so much), AU. Flame it if you don't want it, I'll delete it for you… :)

**Disclaimer: **_**Bleach is not mine, will never be mine… **_

**THANKS TO MY BETA-READER SYLMARIEN  
**

**.  
**

**2. The Daydreamers **

"Nii-chan! Wake up!"

She was kneeling beside him. Her voice was shaking and she was blinded by tears, but she could still see his pale face. His eyes were closed. She shook his body, but he didn't open his eyes. He wouldn't open his eyes. _He's dead… _Her body was shook at the thought. _No he couldn't die. He just couldn't die now. _

"Nii-chan… Onegai [1]…" she whispered, wished that her hot breath would tickle him and her tears would wake him up, but she knew: dead people don't wake up. No matter how loud she shouted, calling his name, he wouldn't come back.

She felt a hand on her shoulder but she didn't turn around to see who it was. She didn't want people seeing her tears. Her eyes, still filled with them, looked at his pale face and her hands touched his cold ones. She tried not to look at his chest where blood covered the clothes but the image was still there in her mind.

"Hime-chan…" the man who stood behind her called her name gently, "I'm so sorry… Inoue was…"

"It wasn't your fault, Ishida-san." Orihime wiped her tears, but as she wiped the tears away new ones filled her eyes, "It was… their fault… They killed my brother…"

"Inoue-kun died doing his job… He was a good officer. He is…"

"He is dead. I know.." Inoue cut Ishida off mid-sentence. She was tired, "I know, Ishida-san. I won't blame you for giving him this case… He was a cop after all, it's just…" she opened her mouth to say something but the pain in heart choked her voice in her throat.

"As his captain, I know that Inoue-kun was a good officer. I gave him this case because I believed he could do it… If only I'd known that they had guns I –"

Orihime cut him off once again, whirling around to look at him with a gaze somewhere between rage and desolation. "Yakuzas always bring guns! You know that! You have to know that! You've been a policeman for half of your life!" she knew that what she said was unkind but she couldn't stop. The words from her mouth and she couldn't control them.

Ishida frowned, not because she was shouting at him, but because he felt horrible seeing the girl who was almost like his own daughter hurting so badly, "they were in a meeting with another group, they shouldn't have brought guns, it's against their code of honour."

"But they did!" she said in a bitter tone as she looked at her brother's body again, "They did bring guns and Sora got shot…" she stopped, unable to go on and buried her face in her hands.

"Hime-chan…" Ishida put a hand on her hunched shoulder but she flinched away.

"I'm sorry…" she said a moment later after a few shaky breaths, "I didn't mean to yell at you… I just…"

"That's ok… I understand…"

Orihime swallowed, "Ishida-san… Do you know who shot him?"

The older man frowned, he hoped she wasn't thinking of doing anything rash."Hime-chan the police will take care of this case. We will get the person and…"

"The Police can't do anything!" She raised her voice again, " The Police will arrest him, then what?! After 3 years he will be free again! Only three years, while I will never see my brother again!"

Ishida sighed, he knew she would do something rash and dangerous if he told her. He also knew that Sora wouldn't want his only sister to do anything dangerous. As right as she was about the power of the Police, he couldn't let her put herself in danger to avenge her brother. He shook his head, "I'm so sorry Hime-chan… I can't tell you…"

Orihime was brought back to reality by a small hand tugging her skirt. She wiped her tears away quickly and looked down to find a little girl around 4 years old looking at her with worry in her eyes. Kneeling down to the girl's level she patted the hand still attached to her skirt.

"Yes, Saori-chan…?" she said with a small smile.

"Sensei [2]… Why are you crying?" Saori asked, her solemn little eyes meeting Orihime's tear-sheened ones. "Is the little blue man okay?"

Orihime chuckled, being a teacher was undoubtedly the best thing for her. How such simple words from a little girl could somehow lighten her mood she didn't know but it always happened that way. Being surrounded by kids would make her forget her burdens and help her cope with them when she couldn't forget. Somehow today though she'd let down her guard, she wasn't supposed to daydream during her work time, the children deserved better than that. And they would get it.

She tried to smile, "Oh, I am so sorry, Saori-chan… I was thinking about something…" she added with more cheerful tone, "And the little blue men are really friendly today…"

Seeing her sensei smile and look more cheerful, Saori's smile widened, "Yokatta [3]… I thought sensei was sad…"

Orihime laughed, "Why would I be sad? I have you and your friends… I would not be sad with you all around… You are all just too cute…"

"Sensei is cute too…" said Saori, still smiling widely, "My mom said sensei's boyfriend must be a really lucky man!"

Orihime gasped, "Your mom said that to you, Saori-chan?" her face reddened.

"No, I heard her say it when mom talked with Hina-chan's mother…" Saori looked at her teacher expectantly, "Were you thinking about your boyfriend, Sensei?"

Orihime laughed, "Ahaha, no… Saori chan…" she smiled, _fancy me having a boyfriend, as if. _ Her good humour restored for real now at the thought she pinched Saori's nose playfully, "Besides, that's not something that kids should know… Now go back playing with your friends…"

"Then Sensei is ok?" Saori frowned, still a little worried about her teacher.

"I am ok now, Saori-chan… Thank you…" Orihime patted the girl's head, "Now, go play!"

"Hai!" Saori nodded and ran to her friends who were playing cheerfully in the playground.

Orihime watched Saori join in with some of the other girls. They'd decided to play jump rope and Saori was an enthusiastic participant. Orihime sighed. _Maybe it's time for me to visit his grave…_ The young teacher looked at the high blue skies. _Nii-chan…_

"What do you mean by 'you'll do it'?"

The orange headed man sighed. He rested his chin on his hand and looked at the raven haired girl who stood not too far from where he sat, a furious look on her face, "I'll do it. You heard me, Rukia…" He reached for an orange on the table in front of him and played with it.

"Ichigo! Don't be stupid! You know that at this moment, our group is not in good shape. The other alliances doubt you as the new leader, I'm not sure if they'll lend a hand if something happens. And again…"

"I said 'I'll do it'." Ichigo cut her off, "And that's that."

Rukia growled, she looked at the red headed man who stood near the door, "Renji! Tell him not to do it!"

Renji sighed, he looked at Ichigo but Ichigo shook his head before he could say anything. He turned to the girl and shrugged his shoulders, "You know I can't do anything. He's made up his mind already…"

She let out a frustrated growl then gave it up, "Fine! But you will not go alone." She said in a bossy tone, "Me and Renji will accompany you. Got it?! You are our leader now, and you're safety is our responsibility!"

Ichigo sighed, "Do as you wish, just don't get in my way."

Rukia gritted her teeth. He always acted like this. _Can't he just stay away from something dangerous?_ She understand that Ichigo was pissed that there were men from another group selling drug in his area, but she thought that this was not the best time to be making an enemy out of another group. Going to a group's nest and telling the leader that some of his men were selling drugs in his area was just same as hitting him in the face. It would not be good.

However letting people sell drugs in their _kuni_[4] would make the residents of the area distrust them once more, undoing all the work Ichigo's family had done since they came to this town. Ichigo, just like his grandparents had never agreed with drug business and had forbidden the men in their group from selling it. Now that some random people had started selling it in their area, Rukia could understand why Ichigo was mad. That didn't stop her worrying about him.

Ichigo's position right now was not too good. He was not popular amongst the alliances' leaders. If he did something stupid, she was afraid that those people would use it as a reason to break the alliance and that would be bad for the group.

Rukia sighed. She'd known Ichigo for a long time and she knew how strong his will was. He wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

"Oi, Rukia, quit the daydreaming and let's go."

"Eh? Where to?" Rukia looked at Ichigo who was standing in front of her.

He scowled, "We go to their nest."

The small girl growled, she didn't like the sound of that, time for a change in tactics "Ichigo…" she looked up at him from her seated position, her voice filled with sweet persuasion. "Why don't we just go drinking somewhere?"

Ichigo smirked, "That sounds nice."

"Right? So let's go!"

"Right after we _visit_ them. C'mon Renji, I need your help, just in case they don't want a peaceful talk."

Rukia clenched her fists, she really wanted to knock some sense into that orange head. He might be their leader but he still was her friend. Her stupid friend.

"C'mon, Rukia, what're you doing, daydreamer?" Ichigo said impatiently, "We don't have all day."

.

**Dictionary (I know you all might already know it but just in case)**

1. Onegai: Please (used to beg something), I use it because somehow it sounds more desperate than 'please'

2. Sensei: Teacher (Could also mean Doctor. Usually used as honorific to call someone who is smarter (or thought so) like Teacher, Doctor, Novelist (maybe Fan Fictionist is included?), or even Mangaka.

3. Yokatta: An expression to show that you are relieved (can be translated as "Thanks God"), I use it because I think 'thanks God' is too mature for a kid like Saori-chan.

4. Kuni: literally means 'state' or 'country' or 'nation' but here, it is a yakuza's term to call their areas. Like Inaba-kuni, Hiromachi-kuni and else. I can't find the English term of this so I let it this way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **He was the new Yakuza leader and she is a simple kindergarten teacher. They fell in love but she was too shy to tell and he was too stubborn to admit. My first Bleach fic, and it is Ichihime (because I love them so much), AU. Flame it if you don't want it, I'll delete it for you… :)

**Disclaimer: **_**Bleach is not mine, will never be mine… **_

**THANKS TO MY BETA-READER SYLMARIEN  
**

**.**

**The Gangster and the Teacher**

"I am so sorry, Hime-chan… I can't pick you up today…"

Orihime sighed but put a smile in her voice so he wouldn't worry, he was always like this. "It's fine, Uryuu-san. I can go home by myself…" she said cheerfully, "Besides I want to go shopping for dinner first before I go home and you don't like going to grocery shopping with me…"

She could see Uryuu frowning even though she only hear him over phone, "You know I don't hate going with you…." he protested, _it is just that seeing you picking random things for your dinner makes me worry, _he thought, "I promise I will pick you up tomorrow and maybe we could go somewhere nice for dinner…"

Orihime giggled, she used one hand to hold the mobile phone and the other hand to put her stuff into her purse. She was alone in the teacher's room, everyone had already left the school and she would be leaving soon too, just as soon as she could convince Uryuu to let her. "Well, that would be nice, Uryuu-san… But for now you need to concentrate on your shift…" she bit her lower lip, having a policeman as a boyfriend was really not good for her heart, she always worried about him. "Stay away from gun fights."

Uryuu laughed but Hime, having known him for a long time now, knew that he was only laughing to reassure her that he would be okay. "Don't worry, I'll bring my gun with me."

Orihime frowned she knew that he was joking but she was dead serious. Uryuu hated guns and just thinking about it made her scared and nervous, "Uryuu…." She really hated it when he joked about these things.

He knew she was serious about it. She'd never liked the idea of him involved in any sort of gun fight. She never even really liked his profession. It reminded her so much of her late brother.

The young policeman sighed, "I understand." He avoided actually making the promise but he needed to assure her that he would be okay, "I'll call you tonight after I finish my shift, ok?"

Orihime knew he hadn't promised her, they'd been together for some time now and she knew when he was avoiding a subject. At least he would be careful. "Ok, I'll wait for your call." She smiled and added with a slightly happier tone "Now go! Go save the world hero!" She didn't want to make him think she was worrying too much, it might distract him while he was on duty.

Uryuu laughed, "I'm not a hero…" he said but his tone sounded lighter, "Ok, I have to go now. Talk to you later, bye!"

"Bye!" she said, waiting for the 'click' before shutting her phone.

Looking at her watch she hummed a random tune and rechecked her purse. After everything that needed to be inside the bag was she smiled cheerfully and left the school building, thinking about what recipe she would try that night. If only she had someone to try the results with...

"No one, will sell drugs in my _kuni__[1]__._"

The old man looked at the younger one in front of him. The orange-haired youth has his arms folded and was standing with legs planted in the middle of the room making demands, how rude. He did not even care to sit down. The old man, leader of the group and territory the younger one had bulled his way into, put his chopsticks beside the bowl of pickles on the tray in front of him. He had been enjoying his favourite meal when he'd been interrupted by him knocking down the guard who stood in front of the door and then kicking it open. Idly he wondered how many guards the kid had knocked down on his way to this room.

"Well, let's see… Ah…you're the new leader of the Kurosaki group aren't you, what was your name again?" the old man feigned forgetfulness, "Ah… I can't remember. By the way, I didn't hear that you'd set up a meeting between us today. If only you'd let me know you wouldn't have had such a loud reception."

"Cut the crap." Ichigo said angrily, breathing only slightly harder than normal but sweating a little after his exertions. It hadn't been easy to break through the defences and get into this room, he'd had to fight many guards and he'd lost Rukia and Renji somewhere along the way. He wondered where they were, they hadn't caught up with him yet but he wasn't too concerned, they could take care of themselves. Besides he didn't need any assistance to do this. "I came here to warn you. No one's allowed to sell drugs in _my kuni._" He tilted his head arrogantly, "And you'd better tell your men to leave my territory or –"

The older man started laughing. Ichigo growled. The old man just looked at him disdainfully, "You're so funny…" he said, and Ichigo clenched his fists, "We do not take orders from a weak group like yours…"

"Well then, I'll just have to prove to you how strong we are." Ichigo said through gritted teeth. This wouldn't be as easy as mowing down the security guards, but that wasn't so bad, after all he was itching for a fight.

Orihime walked home, half skipping with cheerfulness, but also in a bid to get home a tad faster. By the time she'd finished shopping it was already dinner time and she'd realized that she had spent too much time choosing which cereal to buy. In the end she'd just bought both. She'd bought a lot of things too: eggs, instant noodles, cereals, red bean paste, cooking oils, wasabi paste, canned cherry and some peanut butter. She had to admit that it was all a bit heavy, but she'd never complain about it. She might not look like it, but she was actually quite strong.

The kindergarten teacher checked her watch, it was quite late. She frowned, she would not make it in time. She knew that her boyfriend might call her at any minute and if she was not home in time to pick up the phone it would worry him and she didn't want to do that.

_Uryuu would be mad if he knew that I hadn't gotten home yet_, she quickened her pace. She hummed a tune for company as she walked through a darkish alley. She knew that the area was Yakuza territory and she hated the Yakuza but she needed to get home soon and this was the shortest way home. Still she walked a little faster, almost running through the twilight, _just a little more, _she whispered to herself as she ran through the small dark alley, _just a little more…_

She did not hate the Yakuza because they were scary, she hated then because they'd killed her brother. She afraid that if she met them she would lose control and let her hatred swallow her. She'd tried her best to suppress her hatred, she did not want to hate anything so she'd sealed the feeling deep inside her heart but she was afraid that once the seal was broken she would not be able to go back to her old self.

Orihime took a deep breath, sometime she scared herself. She had to admit that there was darkness in her heart. No matter how hard she had tried she still felt as if a grudge filled her heart. Anger toward the Yakuza had eaten into almost all of her heart, she would never smile like she had before.

The Yakuza had broken her life.

As the thought occurred to her she stopped in her tracks as he suddenly appeared out of the darkness.

A few meters in front of her, a man leaned against the wall, panting. She could not see his face clearly but she recognized his orange coloured hair. Even in the darkness she could see the blood all over his body. She frowned, this was not good.

"_Never involve yourself in a man's problem. Understand?"_

She remembered what Uryuu had told her, to stay away from trouble. But she couldn't help herself, the man in front of her was clearly in pain. She couldn't just leave him in that condition, could she? She taught her students to help each other so how could she ignore this injured man.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He raised his head, his hands was pressed to his stomach. His breath was harsh and she could see sweat all over his pale face. He looked into her eyes. Scowling and bleeding. She gasped. She knew him. She remembered him, oh he was the same guy she met before. He was bleeding and looked close to exhaustion. Quickly she walked closer, w_ho did that to him? _She frowned, it must be the bad little green man!

"You…"

She paused as they heard footsteps coming closer and turned around, trying to pinpoint which direction they were coming from. She could hear men's voices, rough and angry. She wanted to ask what was going on but before she could form a question the man had grabbed her hand and pulled her with him once again.

"This way," he said, pulling her with him right as one of the searchers entered the alleyway and spotted them.

"There he is! He's here!"

"Fuck!" he cursed and ran still faster, tightening his hold on her hand.

They ran through the narrow alley, Orihime having no choice but to run with him as. She didn't know whether it was the adrenalin which rushed through her veins or whether it was the one who had pulled her with him that pushed her to run as fast as her legs let her but either way she felt like flying. Never had she run this fast.

Well, actually she had once not too long time ago but that was with the very same orange headed man so it didn't count.

"Here!" He pulled her into a narrower passage deep with shadows.

They could hear the voices of people chasing them but now they seemed so far away. She didn't know how long they had run but it must have been longer than she thought for they'd left their pursuers far behind. It was when they finally left the narrow alley for a wider street not too far from a complex of houses when she realized that she had lost her plastic bag. She must have dropped it somewhere.

After a few minutes young man must have thought it was safe because he finally stopped. Releasing her hand and walking to the nearby wall he leaned on it, panting with exertion and wincing as his wounds made themselves felt again. Orihime took the opportunity to examine him and decided that yes, this was definitely the same man she had met the day before. What were the odds of that?

She looked around her. They were in a suburban neighbourhood now, housing complexes dotted here and there among privately owned properties. It should be safe enough. She didn't know what had happened but she was relieved that people chasing them had given up.

Going over she stood in front of him and got a better look at his beaten face. She had to admit that no matter how bad he had been beaten, he was still somehow good looking enough to make her hold her breath when he met her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked when she could speak, unaware of the thoughts running through his head.

Ichigo looked up as the girl came over. He didn't want her to worry about him but he had to admit that she looked beautiful when she did.

He rejected the thought as soon as it occurred, _It's not the time for this right now! _"I'm sorry for dragging you into this matter, but I gotta go now." He said finally.

The girl frowned and shook her head, "No, you're wounded. I can't let you go like this." She bit her lower lip and thought about something before seeming to make a decision. She smiled cheerfully, "Let's go to my house!"

"Eh what?"

She didn't answer even though he knew she could hear him clearly. Instead she grabbed his hand with her own and tugged him to his feet before leading him off to who knows where. Not really getting what was happening to him, the young yakuza leader let his body to be tugged forward by the auburn haired woman grimacing as the cut on his chest hurt sharply with every step. _Damn, the blood won't stop…_

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **He was the new Yakuza leader and she is a simple kindergarten teacher. They fell in love but she was too shy to tell and he was too stubborn to admit. My first Bleach fic, and it is Ichihime (because I love them so much), AU. Flame it if you don't want it, I'll delete it for you… :)

**Disclaimer: **_**Bleach is not mine, will never be mine… **_

**THANKS TO MY BETA-READER SYLMARIEN  
**

**.**

**4. Faded Memories**

The young cop sighed as he returned to his empty apartment. That had been a close one. If he hadn't been wearing his vest the bullet would have gone straight to his heart. _Damn those yakuzas. _They'd arrested some of the bastards but he knew they were just small fry that knew and were worth nothing. His target was the big fish, the one who controlled everything from behind the scenes. He'd known this wouldn't be easy from the beginning so he shouldn't be unhappy now, but still he felt like he could have caught the leader tonight if only the small fry hadn't gotten in the way.

He flopped down onto his cozy black couch. The yakuza gangs were getting on his nerves. He hated them. He loathed them, and it wasn't even related to his job as a cop. It was personal. He wouldn't ever forget what had happened to Inoue. Those yakuza had killed him. He knew that in his line of work, there was the chance that he'dd get hurt or even killed. _But why did if have to be Inoue-san?_ Why must it have been _her_ brother?

He knew how much she loved her brother and how much it'd hurt her when those bastards had killed the young cop. He never told her but he was actually still trying to find her brother's killer. He knew the man who shot him had been arrested and punished years ago but he wanted to catch the one who'd actually ordered Inoue's death. He knew there was something fishy going on though he and his father would never tell her. It would just cause her more pain.

He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a heavy sigh, he'd almost died tonight. He wondered how she would react if she knew that he'd actually been shot. Well, he didn't plan to tell her, _he_ knew how she'd react. He hoped that his father wouldn't be stupid enough to tell her about this either. It'd only scare her.

He looked at his watch and remembered that he'd promised her he'd call to let her know he was alright. He was really tired and all he wanted to do now was sleep but he didn't want to make her worry. Frowning, he pulled out his mobile phone and pressed the speed dial button to call her. He yawned while waiting for her to answer the phone..

After ten seconds when Orihime hadn't answered his phone call at all was a bit puzzled. Uusally she answered his phone call right away. After a few more seconds he gave up. He was so tired, hell he'd almost died tonight, and she was probably already asleep anyway. He'd call her first thing in the morning.

"Done!"

He looked at the long haired girl who was beaming at him. She'd taken him to her house. She'd actually wanted to take him to the hospital since his injuries were worse than what she thought in the beginning but he insisted that they couldn't go to the hospital. If they went to hospital they would call police and he didn't want to have any business with those stupid cops. Finally without asking any further about his problem she decided to stitch and bandage the wound herself.

To his surprise she did it very well better than what he'd expected.

He looked at the now bandaged wound on his stomach and scowled, "You did it very well..."

She just smiled and helped him to lie down on her bed.

"Wait here, you must be thirsty, I'll make some tea for you."

"Just water is enough."

She shook her head, "It must be tea."

He didn't say anything as he watched the girl left the room. When he couldn't see her anymore, the orange haired young yakuza leader let out an inaudible sigh.

_What a night..._

He closed his eyes. _What have I done? _He opened his eyes again only to close them again right when he felt a sting of pain from his wound. _Damn. _He wondered if his friends were alright. They'd run separately when the police came. He hadn't wanted to run but Renji and Rukia had forced him too. He hadn't expected that those bastards would still chase him even though the cops were in the area.

_Maybe Renji's right... It's about time for me to own a gun. _He shook his head at that idea. He never used a gun. He preferred a sword, a katana, rather than a gun.

He touched his bandaged stomach. He'd been too reckless. When his enemy threw his gun and told him he wanted a fair fight he should have known, there was nothing that fair in the yakuza world. That bastard had a hidden kodachi-short sword. If he hadn't moved at the last second he'd have been sliced a lot deeper than this and probably wouldn't have made it.

He scowled. His grandfather would scold him for this if only he was still alive. He had been reckless, not only had he put his life in danger but his friends' and followers' too.

_Damn. I gotta be stronger._

The kindergarten teacher sat on the kitchen table, waiting for the water to boil. The cheerful smile had disappeared from her face. It was replaced by a frown. She clenched her hand on the table and shut her eyes. This man reminded her of Sora. She didn't know why. He didn't even look like her brother but there was something about him. She hadn't realized it the first time they met but this time, seeing him in bloody clothes he reminded her inexorably of her brother but also something else.

She tried to remember but she couldn't

Blood.

There had been blood everywhere.

A flash of a faceless orange haired boy.

Her brother.

Blood again.

She tried so hard but she couldn't remember.

When she came back to herself she realised she had bit her lip hard enough to bleed. A little shaken she tried to put it out of her mind. Thankfully the kettle started to whistle so she stood up and walked to the stove to make the tea.


	5. Chapter 5

**5. Recess**

.

Ichigo Kurosaki lost his family when he was ten in an accident. His parents, and his baby sisters were killed in a car accident, two days before his tenth birthday. He had been Ichigo Shiba at the time, until an old man showed up in the funeral, telling him that he was his grandfather.

Ichigo had been living with his Grandfather since then. He had been taught many things to be the next leader of their group. Ichigo Shiba was a kind and softhearted boy but he was not Shiba anymore. Ichigo Shiba had died with his family, from then, he had been Ichigo Kurosaki, the heir of Kurosaki Group who knew how to fight and was fearless.

_"When your mother left me with that man, I was disappointed."_

It was a custom in Japan to celebrate someone's coming age ceremony with sake. It was Ichigo's first time to drink sake with his grandfather and to listen of him talking about his mother. He could see the sadness in the old man's eyes as he talked about Masaki.

_"I don't have a son, but I have a beautiful daughter. A daughter who hates my job. Masaki has always despised Yakuza. She said I need to stop, that one day someone might kill me and she didn't want that to happen." The old man smiled sadly, "and she met your father and she fell in love. She was my only heir, I couldn't let her to marry a mere doctor like Shiba Isshin. I was really angry when she chose to elope. Throwing away Kurosaki name to be with Shiba."_

His mother had never talked about her family. He knew his father had no more relative since he grew up in an orphanage, so he had thought that it was same for his mother. He had never thought that his mother, that beautiful and kind woman was a daughter of a Yakuza family.

_"When I heard about the accident, I thought I had lost everything, but then I met you, Masaki's son..." The old man looked into his brown eyes, "I want you to be strong. For Masaki's sake, don't ever get killed..."_

_Don't ever get killed..._

It was painful. He couldn't breathe.

What had happened to him? Why couldn't he breathe? He was burnt. His body felt so hot. Did someone burnt him alive?

_Would I die?_

Someone had shot him. Now he remembered that. How stupid. He let someone shot him and now he was going to die... He hadn't even found out who had killed his grandfather. Now he would break his promise to never let anyone killed him.

He would die.

Or not?

Suddenly, he felt something cold touched his face. It felt so good. The cold thing left his face and moved to his neck and his chest. What was it?

He remembered this kind of feeling. When he had fever as a child, his mother would wipe his body with cold towel. This feeling was exactly the same feeling he felt back then. But who was it?

He tried to open his eyes but he had no strength to do so. He tried so hard until he managed to get his eyes half opened.

"Oh, you're awake?"

His mother was smiling to him. So it was really his mother. The same smile and red hair...

"Mom?"

His voice was hoarse but he didn't care. Suddenly he felt safe. He knew he would be okay. With that he closed his eyes once again and felt asleep.

.

The next time he opened his eyes, Ichigo was really thirsty. His body was not as hot as before but his throat was dry. What greet him when he opened his eyes was a white ceiling of someone's room. It was blurred at first, so he didn't really recognize it but after few seconds, he was sure, he wasn't in his own room or anywhere in his house.

"Hey, you're awake?"

He turned to the voice and frowned when a woman greeted him with a smile. Now he remembered. He got shot and this woman had taken him to her house since he refused to be brought to hospital.

"Water..."

She chuckled, somehow sounded happy, "oh of course, you must be thirsty, wait a minute!"

He looked at her back when she stood up and left the room. From the back, she looked a lot like his mother. Except her hair was different shade from his mother's. So, it wasn't really a dream though instead of his mother's, it had been her hands he felt.

What was her name again? He knew she had told him her name, but what was it again? It was something beautiful, related to tanabata... Ah, yes, Orihime. Now he remembered it, her name is Inoue Orihime.

"Sorry to make you wait," Orihime entered the room with a glass of water in her hand.

She helped him to sat up. He ignored the pain in his stomach when he moved, and drank the water after muttering an almost inaudible thanks.

"You scared me." She received the now empty glass and put it on the table next to the bed. "I managed to get the bullet out, no don't ask me how, it was pure luck, my brother always told me to be a doctor because I have this natural talent but I... Ah well, forget that, what I wanted to say is, you got high fever and it is natural since you just got shot and all, I was so scared because maybe I had done it wrong... After 2 nights, I thought you would die but this morning your fever had..."

"Wait," all of the information made him dizzy, this girl talked so fast, "how long have I been passed out?"

"54 hours," she smiled, "but it's normal since... Wait! What are you trying to do? You can't get up yet!"

"I've to go, my friends gotta be worried about me."

To his shock, he hadn't even touched the floor when she pushed him back onto the bed. She pushed him so easily as if he weren't a man who was also twenty kilograms heavier than her. He looked at her in an awe, there were only few women who could pushed her down and they wasn't even a woman in his eyes, but this girl looked so fragile and girly, yet she pushed him down easily... Well, he was injuried at the moment but it still surprised him.

"No," she shook her head, "I can't let you leave now. You can borrow my phone to call your friends and tell them you're okay but I can't let you leave now. You said you don't want to go to the hospital right? Then behave!"

He could only nodded. This woman was realy something. She scolded him as if he was a kid and yet he couldn't talk back. What was this? Was it because she looked like his mother?

Orihime smiled at Ichigo's response, "good. Now stay here, I would make you a lunch, it's been almost three days, you must be hungry."

At the mention of food, Ichigo's stomach growled. She giggled and stood up to leave the room and make the lunch.

Ichigo watched her leaving the room before he let out a deep sigh.

Orihime come back to him to give him her cellphone. Asking him if he hated greenbell and after he said he was okay with greenbell she flashed him that angelic smile before once again left the room.

Rukia sounded frantic when he called and told her what happened. To his surprised, the raven haired girl told him not to come back yet.

"Just stay wherever you are right now."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo scowled, "I am okay, I can be back anytime soon."

"No you can't!" She insisted, "you got shot, moron! Treasure your body a bit will you? Besides, polices had been investigating us lately, I think someone had paid these dogs. What they need is only a reason to throw you into the jail. If they know about the fight..."

Ichigo sighed. So he was right after all. Some people didn't want him to be the leader off Kurosaki group, "Okay, I understand."

"You do?" Somehow Rukia sounded surprised, "you don't usually this understanding... Tell me, is she hot?"

Ichigo blushed, "what are you talking about?!"

He almost could see her grinning face, "that girl who saved you, is she hot?"

"Damn you, Rukia, I promised, I would-"

"Hey, I gotta hang up now, one of those dog-cops is coming and wanna talk to me. Gosh, they won't give up, don't they?" And she hung up just like that.

Ichigo cursed. That damn midget really knew how to get on his nerves.

.

"I am sorry, I had a phone call, so what was it about?"

Ishida Uryuu narrowed his eyes, "well, it is okay," he didn't have to fake some manner, "so, could I meet your boss today?"

Rukia frowned. She looked at the young man. He looked almost too skinny to hold a gun and if she missed the glint in his eyes, she would think that he couldn't fight at all. Though he had the gut to come to their lair, this man couldn't be underestimated.

"I've told you, he is away." She sighed, "aren't you tired? You might search around this place but you wouldn't find him. Besides, how many times had I told you, we had nothing to do with whatever it is you accussed us. Drug selling isn't our forte."

Their eyes met for almost a minutes. None of them intended to look away. She knew he was trying to find out if she had been lying or not. He could try but Rukia knew, no matter how long he glared at her, he would find nothing.

Uryuu knew she was hiding something, he could feel it but he also knew he couldn't force her to open her mouth. Afterall, she told him the truth about her boss not being there at the moment. That bastard must have been hiding somewhere.

He knew he would be in big problem if his father knew that he had come here alone, intent to gain for more information and ignoring the direct commant to wait. He didn't care even if he would be in trouble for acting like this. He couldn't wait anymore. Someone need to stop these Yakuzas.

After two more minutes which felt like two hours, finally the young cop sighed and stood up, "fine, I would go back for today."

Rukia gritted her teeth and stood up, "you know where the door is."

.

Orihime was thankful it was summer vacation now so the school was closed and she could stay home. She was really worried about the orange haired man and she didn't think that she could leave him alone now. She was glad his fever had been gone but there was still a chance of infection since he made it clear that he didn't want to go to the hospital.

She wasn't sure if she should talk about this to Uryuu or not. After all, a guy who had been involved in a gun fight, though he was weaponless at the time, might be a dangerous guy. Uryuu wouldn't like it and it would make it more complicated. She hated hiding something from Uryuu but she didn't have any other choices now. Besides, suddenly Uryuu had been really busy lately. His latest phone call was two days ago, only to inform her that he was going to be really busy to work on a case so they couldn't meet for a while. Orihime said it was okay since she understood his job, she just wanted him to take care and not to get hurt. She said that but actually she was really worried. She knew Uryuu would be careful but that didn't make her feel any better.

Orihime added some salt to her cooking while wondering, who was that orange haired guy in her room actually? She had met him few times already and all she knew about him was his name. And that everytime she met him, they had to run away from a fight. She knew that the man was someone dangerous but it didn't make he less attractive in any way.

She blushed.

Well, not like she was attracted to him or anything like that.

Orihime was tempted to add some red bean paste into her cooking but she remembered that not everybody appreciate red bean paste in their food so she thought it would be saver not to add it. She stir her vegetable fry while smiling, it had been sometime since the last time she cooked for someone since Uryuu hadn't visited her at all lately.

Well, she hoped that he wouldn't visit her just yet. If he met Ichigo right now... Somehow Orihime knew that Ichigo and Uryuu wouldn't get along.

.

Ichigo looked at the plate and furrowed his brows. There it was. That orange thing he hated the most. Sure when she asked whether she hated greenbell or not, he told him that greenbell was okay. But this orange thing was different story.

Orihime realized that he didn't touch THAT vegetable at all though he ate the greenbell alright. She shook her head. She forgot that sometime kids didn't only hate greenbells but also carrots.

"No, Kurosaki-kun, you should eat the carrots as well."

There it came again. The way she scold him like he scolded a kid which reminded him of his mother.

"I hate carrot." He mumbled.

She frowned, "carrot is good for your body."

He shrugged, "people won't die just because they don't eat carrot."

"People won't die just because they eat carrot." She corrected him, "so eat them."

He groaned. Those little orange things were like mocking him. _Hey you big guy, you take a bullet bravely yet you cannot swallow us?_

_Fine, _Ichigo glared at the carrots, _I will eat you all! _

Orihime smiled happily when finally Ichigo eat the carrots, though he had to put on a disgusted face.

"Good boy," Orihime giggled as she put the empty plates on the table and gave him a glass of water. As he drank his water quickly as if he tried to wash the taste of carrots in his mouth, she yawned.

Ichigo frowned. She looked tired and sleepy, and he just realized the black circle around her eyes. Somehow it worried him, "haven't you slept these past few days?" Now he that thought about it, he was sleeping in her bed, so where had she been sleeping? In the couch?

She giggled, "of course I slept. I sleep here so if I could be right by your side if you need something."

He growled, "you mean you sleep on the chair? How could that even possible?"

"It is possible," she yawned again, "if you only sleep for ten minutes. I need to stay awake in every few hours."

He couldn't take it anymore. This woman had done too much for him and he couldn't let her to do anything more that what she had done for him. He shook his head, no, he wouldn't let her sleep like that.

"This is your bed," he said, "you should sleep here."

"W-what? Then what about you?"

He thought about it, "the couch?"

She shook her head sternly, "over my dead body. I won't let you to sleep on the couch."

"Then we can share the bed."

He didn't realize what he had said until he saw her red face, "I didn't mean it to be indecent. I mean..."

She didn't say anything for a minute but to his surprised, she smiled sleepily to him and yawned, "deal."

He was still too surprised to do or say anything when she climbed on the bed and laid down next to his body.

She turned her back on him and muttered sleepily, "good night, Kurosaki-kun."

He blinked, his face was beet red but he was lucky because from their position right now, she won't be able to see his face.

She had been fast asleep when he had the gut to muttered back, "good night, Inoue."

.

Author's Note:

So, I haven't discontinued this story, I just haven't had the right mood to write anything in English lately... I haven't contacted my beta for this story to ask if she's still interested in Beta-ing this fic.


	6. Chapter 6

**6. Entwined Past**

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_"Boku ga waraeba, kimi ga warau kara. Kimi ga waraeba, mata dare ka ga warau saa..."_

Ichigo was sitting at the kitchen table, one hand to support his cheek as he watched the auburn haired woman making the dinner. She looked happy and she had been singing cheerfully the whole time, a song about laughter which somehow made him wondering.

"Who would make a song about laughter?"

Orihime giggled but she didn't stop chopping the eggplant, "Kanjani 8 did, hehehe. I love their songs. Especially the one called Wahaha... Don't you think the lyric is really nice?"

He raised a brow, "well..."

_Because if I laughed, you will laugh too. And if you laughed, then again someone else will laugh with you. _

"It's nice," Ichigo muttered as he grabbed the remote on the table and turned on the TV.

Orihime chuckled but she didn't say anything. She didn't sing anymore but she hummed happily the same song she had sung, unaware of Ichigo who was still watching her back from the corner of his eyes.

It's been two days since Ichigo could leave the bed and a week since he stayed in her house. They were still sleeping together everynight but of course nothing had happened between them. Of course, Ichigo always had a good self control not to mention his wound was still hurt as hell.

Ichigo wasn't a pervert. He wasn't really interested in woman. No, he wasn't a gay like what his friends had not-so-secretly accused him. He just had another activity to tire himself out; fighting. Though Yakuzas were always accociated with women, Ichigo had no interest in taking one or two women as his lovers. His grandparents always accused him a late bloomer but he didn't care. He knew he wasn't gay. Living with Orihime these past few days had proven it. He would woke up earlier than her every morning to take care of his need in the bathroom.

His eyes following the red head walking around the kitchen, it had only been few days, yet it felt like he had known her for years. There was this weird feeling in his chest whenever he looked at her. Who was this girl actually? Why would she let herself get involved in this mess? Ichigo had talked with Rukia and Renji on the phone few times and it seemed liked there had been a cop wandering around their teritory lately, trying to find him. Whatever was the reason, Ichigo didn't want Orihime to get involved in this matter. He should leave this place soon but somehow it wasn't easy to leave the girl here when he had grown attached to her. Maybe, he blushed at his own though, he could visit her sometime later?

But he was a Yakuza. She was a normal girl with normal life. He was a bad guy and she deserved someone better than him. Someone who wouldn't put her life in danger. Someone who had normal job. Someone who...

For a reason, he hated this 'someone'. He had never hated being a Yakuza before. He always thought that his grandfather was really cool. Everybody in his group was trustworthy and he respected them. But now, after his grandfather's death, he wondered that maybe things wouldn't be this complicated if he weren't a Yakuza. His grandfather wouldn't have been killed. His parents wouldn't have to elope and maybe they would have been still alive now.

"Okay," Orihime's sweet voice stopped his train of thought. The beautiful girl smiled she brought the plates of their dinner and served it on the table. "The dinner is ready!"

Maybe he could never change the fact that he was a yakuza. But right now, wasn't it okay to pretend that he was just a normal person?

.

Rukia Kuchiki sighed she slammed the empty glass on the table. The raven haired girl shook her head quickly, "I can't believe those bastard could do this to us!"

The red haired tall man who sat in front of her watched the girl with a worried look, "I think you've drunk too much, Rukia."

Rukia waved her hand, "I am okay. Don't worry about me. I can't believe you, doesn't it make you worried or what? They planned to take over our kunis! Those greedy bastard use this chance to show their claw and fang! Ichigo is not here and they think it is their chance!" Rukia gritted her tooth, "we're lucky that old man, Yamamoto, wasn't that stupid. He was enough to give Ichigo a chance before he let that bastard Aizen takes over our kunis."

Renji looked at her half empty glass, a frown plastered on his rough face, "Aizen group had taken one of our kunis. It was bad enough. What he needs is only to make Ichigo look bad in front of Yamamoto."

"I know, right?" Rukia poured more beer into her glass. Her face was red already but she needed to drink more to calm herself. The meeting today had really gotten into her nerves, "no matter what, Ichigo had to attend the next meeting and he shouldn't have gotten into any reckless fight for the time being."

Renji nodded his red head, "yeah. We had no other choice."

Renji and Rukia drank their beer without saying anything. They both worried about their friend's condition. They hadn't met him since that day when he got shot. Rukia and Renji was relieved that at least when he called them, he sounded alright but there was still another matter to worry about and without Ichigo as their leader being there, there wasn't much they could do.

Their last fight with that group who sold drugs in their teritory had caused some trouble. First, Ichigo got shot, and then during the meeting today, the leader of all groups had punished Kurosaki group by ordering them to release one of their kunis to Aizen group. The other group's punishment wasn't any better though. The leader of the group who had sold drugs in Kurosaki's teritory had to cut his little finger as a punishment. Losing a teritory and losing a finger, Yamamoto really knew how to punish anyone who pissed him off, but it wasn't Yamamoto who made Rukia worried about the situation. There had been this man who bothered her a lot, especially during the meeting earlier; Sousuke Aizen.

Aizen Group was a small group at the beginning and Aizen was only the first leader and also the founder of the group but in twenty years, his group had been bigger and stronger. Rukia had a weird feeling about this man though she couldn't really say what.

"Had Ichigo called you today?" Renji broke the silence with his deep voice.

"Nope, the last time he called me was two days ago," Rukia told him with a scowl on her face, "it had been a week and I started to think that maybe that bastard fall in love with that woman."

Renji laughed hearing that. He knew that Rukia was joking. They both had known Ichigo for years and they both had assumed that the guy was assexual. He wasn't interested in anything sexual. That, or maybe he was a gay.

"Maybe he couldn't call you because you told him that lately an okami(*) kept on bothering you." Renji frowned, "what did he want?"

Rukia shrugged, "he had been trying to meet Ichigo so I thought that it was about the fight or drug selling. But yesterday, he started asking about other stuff."

Renji narrowed his eyes, "what stuff?"

"Well it's about something that had happened ten years ago, I don't know what was he talking about honestly." Rukia drank her beer, "he's really weird that man."

"Ten years ago?" The tattoed man rubbed his chin, he tried to remember what had happened ten years ago. Was there any important things happened ten years ago? Ten years ago he had been sixteen years old. He had been hanging around Kurosaki's house since fifteen. Rukia had stared to join them eight years ago so she might not really know anything happened ten years ago.

Renji remembered.

Finally he understand what was the reason. The cop had been coming to their place for that case. A case that should have been closed ten years ago...

"What's it Renji?" Rukia narrowed her violet eyes, "are you hiding something from me now? Do you know what had happened ten years ago?"

Renji smirked nervously, "no, of course no." He decided to lie. "I was just thinking if we should tell Yamamoto or not. But I guess we better watched out, no need to tell the old man yet but we still have to be careful."

The petite woman sighed, "yeah I agree. Maybe Ichigo know what does that Okami want from us."

Renji didn't say anything. He had a bad feeling about all of this. He could only pray that if things became out of control, he would be able to protect his friends.

.

When Orihime was twelve years old, her brother passed away. It left an invisible scar in her and she had been struggling not to show it to anybody including Uryuu and Ryuuken. After his brother died, those two people were like the only family she had. She had been owing them too much so she didn't want to make them worry about here more than she had.

Orihime could still remember clearly how she had acted after her brother's death. She promised that she would make them pay. She made Uryuu stole his father's gun for her. She wanted to take a revenge from those yakuzas. She knew that the person who had shot his brother had been arrested but he was just a small fry, he didn't mean anything. She wanted to kill the leader. She wanted to destroy them all.

Of course she couldn't but she did really want to do that. She was just twelve and she was upset, she couldn't think much. She could have died at the time. If only... What had happened then? She knew something had happened but she couldn't remember anything about it at all.

Orihime opened her eyes slowly, it had been two or three hours since she tried to sleep but somehow she couldn't sleep at all. A pair of strong arms encircled her waist securely to make sure she wouldn't fall from the bed. Her back was pressed to a hard and warm body behind her. She wondered if Uryuu knew about this, what would he say.

Uryuu would understand, she thought to herself, he was really understanding. He would believe her if she told him nothing had happened between them because nothing really happened.

Orihime sighed and closed her eyes again. Uryuu had been very busy lately and it worried her. He always told her that he got his gun with him, as if that would make her feel better. He had seen too many people get hurt because of that damn little thing. She wouldn't want to see the man she loved got hurt by those things...

She missed Uryuu badly. She loved talking to him and being with him was always comfortable. He had always been there for her ever since his brother passed away, ever since then he had been standing there to protect her in Sora's place. He told her that he wouldn't do anything that would make her sad including to be reckless and get shot.

"You're not sleeping."

It wasn't a question. Orihime didn't really surprised to find out that he wasn't sleeping, either.

"Neither you."

"So, what bothers you?" Ichigo asked, he couldn't look at her face due to their position at the time, "do you feel uncomfortable?"

Actually, it was the other way. His body heat warmed her and the way he encircled his hand protectively around her waist made her felt safer. It was not uncomfortable at all.

"No," she answered honestly, "I just... I remembered about something."

He wondered if it were okay for him to ask her what had bothered the long haired woman. He didn't want to make her feeling as if he tried to pry on her personal life. After few seconds he decided to ask her.

"May I know?" He asked carefully.

Orihime chuckled, "it's not something important. I just recalled some memory from the past."

Both of them didn't say anything else after that. She wondered if she should tell him more about her past, about her brother. She had just met him and she didn't know much about him but somehow she knew she could trust him.

"You saw the picture in the living room, didn't you?" Orihime didn't wait for his answer, "that is Sora, my brother."

Ichigo didn't say anything but she knew he was listening.

"My parents borrows a lot of money from a dangerous person, they couldn't pay the money back so they ran away. Leaving me and my brother alone. I was really young back then so I don't remember their faces. Ever since then, my brother had raised alone." Orihime smiled sadly though Ichigo wouldn't be able to see that, "I really loved Sora but someone killed him."

She could feel his arms tensed around her.

"He got shot. The man who killed him had been arrested but it wouldn't give Sora back to me. I-i..." Orihime didn't intend to talk this much but now she couldn't stop, "when I saw you bleeding, I remembered about Sora. I thought that I have to save you no matter what..."

He couldn't see her face right now but her shoulders were shaking.

"I-i..."

"You missed him," he whispered in her ear. His embrace was tightened. He pulled her body closer to him.

"Yes." She whispered back, "I missed him a lot. I regret it because I couldn't save him that day. I regret it because I let him die."

Ichigo frowned, "how old were you back then?"

"Twelve."

He sighed.

"I lost my family when I was ten. My parents and my sisters. I lost them all. I know how you feel." He hadn't talked about this to anyone since years ago. He didn't know what made him tell her this, "sometime I think, was there something I could do actually to prevent it happened..."

Orihime bit her lower lip. Listening to his story made her feel weird. She barely know this man but she felt a connection. A weird feeling that attracted her to him. She wondered what kind of feeling was that.

"But you know," he had to fight his own desire to buried his face to her hair, to inhaled the sweet aroma of her shampoo, "I think, some things just meant to happen. We cannot change the past, we could only move forward." He blushed, glad she couldn't see him right now. How cheesy. He didn't think he could say stuff like this.

Orihime smiled. His words made her feel so much better.

"You're right." She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, "I feel so much better."

Ichigo chuckled. He could feel her body relaxed.

"Good, can we go back to sleep now?"

She giggled, "aye sir! Oyasuminasai!"

"Oyasuminasai."

.

"Is there any news, Gin?"

The white haired man who had just entered the room sat on the tatami floor. In front of him, a brown haired man was sipping his sake(**) casually. He had been waiting for him and he wanted to hear something good from him.

"Well," the white haired man called Gin poured some sake for him to drink, "that kid is missing. I believe he got shot last time but when I checked, he wasn't home yet. I wonder where he is right now. There is no way he was in a hospital... I've made sure of that."

Sosuke frowned but he looked as confident as ever, the tip of the cup touched his lips but he paused for a moment before he drank the sake in one gulp, "I wonder... Do you think Abarai or Kuchiki knew where he is hiding?"

Gin shrugged, "I don't think so. They might know that he is still alive though, I think they are still in touch with him."

The older man put down the empty cup. He sighed lazily, "I think I underestimated him. That kid, has some luck, doesn't he?"

The thin man chuckled, "maybe we should attack him from different angle."

"What do you mean?"

Gin drank his sake slowly, "well, don't you think that he may have a lover?"

.

.

(*) Okami: cops/police

(**) sake: rice wine

Author's note:

Okay, so I am struggling with this story. I enjoyed the plot but I don't know how to write and elaborate it in English. I hadn't used English lately so I kind of "forget" how to write in English...

I update fast, and about my other story, I will update them too, eventually.


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